I'm looking for some new (new to me, anyway) black and/or death metal bands that have a trait that is unique to them that really sets them apart from others. I'd very much prefer this unique aspect to be in the vocals, but anything is fine, as long as it's a defining trait. Some examples:Borknagar - With their blending of cleans and screams that works so damn well (Not sure if this is true for all of their albums, I've only listened to Empiricism so far)Inquisition - The frog vocals and ritualistic instrumentals create an atmosphere no other band can touchEarly Psycroptic - Not that new Psycroptic is bad, but Chalky's vocals had so much variance that made each song feel super fresh.Ragnarok - Blackdoor Miracle - The unique thing here is the mixture of really frosty black metal with death metal production. The vocals are arguably not that unique, but they're probably the best screams I've heard in black metal, and I don't think Hoest has ever topped his vocals on this album, they're so shrieky and evil - the contrast with the production is fantastic.М8Л8ТХ - By the Wing of Black - The manic screams here are just awesome, especially in the song Scent of Blood. The only other band I've heard that's comparable in the vocal aspect is !T.O.O.H.! though I prefer it done in М8Л8ТХ's style because they have more traditional instrumentals. Again, the death metal production is sort of there. I think I just like really bass double kick in black metal....Bal Sagoth - Obviously, these guys play some of the most unique metal that there is, but for the intent of this thread, I'll just mention the clean spoken vocals that are a constant throughout their work. I love how it's almost literal narration of a story - it helps them accomplish their intended sound perfectly.Arkha Sva - Every so often I find myself in the mood to listen to those weird high pitched vocals. An incredibly average black metal band, but the vocals make them worth listening to if you can dig that sort of stuff.

And then there's the obvious Cryptopsy with Lord Worm and Anaal Nathrakh, but everybody knows those so I won't go into detail or anything.

I hope I got my point across and this isn't too ambiguous a thread. I eagerly await some suggestions!

Battlemaster - varied and rather unique D&D themed death metal. Not only do their compositions and style have a unique vibe but the main vocal style sounds like a goblin's maniacal ranting... which is then complimented by some nice gutturals. Killer band.http://www.reverbnation.com/battlemaster

I'd recommend Demilich - Nesphite. A technical/weirdo death metal classic from Finland. The ultra-deep frog-growls are legendary just as the strange and atonal melodies, the nihilistic lyrics and the ridiculously long songtitles (ex: "The Sixteenth Six-Tooth Son of Fourteen Four-Regional Dimensions (Still Unnamed)").Then Infester - To the Depths... to Degradation. Many consider it one of the most evil and twisted death metal albums. It surely shares some similarities with Demilich, but it's more disgusting and gory.Dark Millennium - Diana Read Peace - This is just between (or beyond) any existing genre. Death metal blended with jazz, prog rock, thrash... again a very unique vocalist that hasn't a 'good' voice by typical measures but goes from whispers and clean parts to a gnarly shout/growl. The layered guitars and the variated songwriting also make this an exceptionally unique and great album, although it takes some time to get into it.